Training with the Lightning Release scroll went smoother than expected. The physical enhancement from lightning chakra was visibly effective.
Tsukiki woke at 6 a.m., quickly washed up, geared up, and started running laps around Konoha. After warming up, he began systematic, scientific training: sit-ups, push-ups, and traditional Uchiha drills—all to maintain peak condition and prevent any decline.
Then, a simple breakfast, eaten quickly, before heading to school. The pace of lessons was accelerating—Tsukiki could feel it.
According to the teachers, they'd compressed a year's curriculum into six months, and surprisingly, no one fell behind. "This is the best batch I've ever taught," one said.
Tsukiki shook his head wryly. This class was indeed the most talented in the academy's history—both individually and as a whole.
They lacked so-called "geniuses," but Konoha had too many of those anyway. Not everyone could be one.
This contrasted sharply with Lightning Country. They had geniuses too but didn't obsess over them. Development was balanced—both geniuses and elites were nurtured.
In Konoha, elites without connections were lucky to survive war and maybe become jonin. Roll in battle, live through it, and you might be called an elite.
By the Fourth Great Ninja War, Lightning's shinobi—both in numbers and overall strength—surpassed Fire Country, on record at least.
Konoha, short on troops, turned to clans. Many small clans vanished—dying out or losing their heritage—rarely producing outstanding ninja again.
Schoolwork was tedious, but practical classes broke the monotony. Several classes had combat training daily, though each group only got one afternoon per week.
After school, Tsukiki focused on kenjutsu. In the shinobi world, blades were all called "swords," but no one in Konoha invested as much effort as he did.
As for Fire Release, he'd only learned the Great Fireball Technique. After years of practice, it was second nature. His daily routine included firing a few fireballs while figuring out how to reduce chakra cost while maximizing power.
The Uchiha were experts at this. A clan jonin could triple or quadruple the power of a C-rank jutsu using the same chakra as a genin—all through skill and effort.
The method? Clan secrets, passed orally or self-taught. Usually, it was shared when teaching the jutsu. Tsukiki learned it from Uchiha Fuhei. No wonder the Uchiha were famous for fire.
Typically, after learning a fire technique, Uchiha focused on minimizing cost and maximizing effect—not just raw power.
Then they honed shurikenjutsu and other skills. A balanced Uchiha ninja was strong in all areas—not just fire and throwing. That's how they built their fearsome reputation.
Tsukiki saw this firsthand at the clan training ground. Those returning from the front or preparing to deploy trained relentlessly, sharing combat experience.
The frontline had stabilized. Villages were stockpiling resources for a final push. Large-scale battles were rare now—only small scouting skirmishes remained.
Not just Fire Country—Earth and Wind were also massing supplies at their borders, clearly preparing for a prolonged war.
With rotations, many ninjas returned to Konoha for rest. Even the Sannin were recalled, leaving only a skeleton force at the front.
This peace was clearly the calm before the storm. Many ninjas rushed home to enjoy the respite and hopefully leave behind heirs.
Since the war began, most returning shinobi had this mindset—unless both spouses were ninjas, in which case they could petition the Hokage for leave, usually approved.
After conception, male ninjas returned to the front. Female ninjas nursed the child for a year before weaning and returning to duty—a grim but pragmatic morale measure.
Clans had dedicated facilities for these children. Civilian ninjas relied on Konoha's orphanages—hence the growing number of war orphans each year.
The Uchiha training ground was now crowded with ninjas doing recovery drills—staying sharp and combat-ready.
Their aura alone intimidated Tsukiki—every one of them, jonin or chunin, radiated battlefield experience.
Since he was clan, they glanced his way but didn't bother him. A few older jonin even gave him tips on Fire Release—more detailed and easier to grasp than Fuhei's teachings.
Tsukiki's fire jutsu improved exponentially, almost fooling him into thinking he was talented. Thankfully, he stayed grounded.
Not just him—all Uchiha students received guidance from veterans when training. Regardless of talent, the elders never mocked them, showing patience that put Tsukiki to shame.
But the new generation of jonins weren't as kind. They looked down on branch family members like Tsukiki, believing those with diluted blood weren't true Uchiha.
Internal division had grown—not just over the Sharingan, but blood purity. Remote branches were deemed unworthy.
Tsukiki encountered this several times—jonin and chunin in their 20s and 30s disrupting his training upon learning his bloodline was "impure."
They didn't attack directly but sent main family peers to hassle them.
In sparring, Tsukiki saw the gap clearly: main family members had better resources, superior shuriken skills, battle experience, and jutsu mastery—faster casts, perfect timing.
Only in taijutsu could he hold his own—chakra enhancement narrowed the physical gap.
Frustrated, Tsukiki kept returning to the clan grounds, only to be challenged by different chunin or jonin daily. They grew impatient and took him on themselves.
After a month, he had to accept reality: the gap was huge. He was outclassed in ninjutsu, taijutsu, and genjutsu—humiliated daily.
Every young main family jonin had beaten him, all to drive him away—they believed branch members didn't deserve the training grounds.
He wasn't the only stubborn one, but he lasted the longest. The others gave up, stopped coming, and even removed the Uchiha fan from their clothes.
In the shinobi world, strength was everything. Without it, they had to yield. This conflict had been brewing for a long time.
On his final day, Tsukiki lasted five minutes against an elite jonin with three-tomoe Sharingan—five minutes of pure defeat.
He fell repeatedly but kept rising, attacking with his blunt sword, useless against the Sharingan's predictive power.
Finally, a genjutsu took him down. He tried to break it, but lacked the chakra. Defeated by the Sharingan again, he was thrown out of the training ground.